Sascha SeganApple iPhone 4 (Verizon Wireless)Our lab tests show that Verizon's iPhone 4 is just as good as the popular AT&T model, if not slightly better. If you've been lusting for an iPhone, but AT&T's network coverage doesn't work for you, the Verizon iPhone will be your savior. But if you didn't want an iPhone before, there's nothing new here to change your mind.

Our lab tests show that Verizon's iPhone 4 is just as good as the popular AT&T model, if not slightly better. If you've been lusting for an iPhone, but AT&T's network coverage doesn't work for you, the Verizon iPhone will be your savior. But if you didn't want an iPhone before, there's nothing new here to change your mind.

Most of the universe is already familiar with Apple's trend-setting smartphone. The new model from Verizon Wireless works just like AT&T's, except that's it's on Verizon's CDMA network. Yes, there are a few subtle differences—and I'll go into those in great detail in this review. But overall, if you've been lusting for an iPhone, but AT&T's network coverage doesn't work for you, the Verizon iPhone will be your savior. If you didn't want an iPhone before, there's nothing new to convince you here.

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The best place to start is by reading our review of the iPhone 4 on AT&T ($199-$699, 4.5 stars), along with our review of the most recent iOS version, 4.2. In brief, though: this is a super-slick operating system with frequent updates and access to lots of apps. The phone includes a terrific integrated iPod for music and video. It's awesome for gaming, and great for Web browsing, as long as you can get by without Flash. The 5-megapixel camera is excellent, and it records HD video. And you can video chat with FaceTime. And like with the AT&T version, all existing iPhone apps work on the new device. It easily makes the cut for our list of The 10 Best Touch-Screen Phones and The Best Phones on Verizon Wireless.

Physical Details, Call Quality, and Battery Life I'll start with what's the same. Verizon's iPhone looks almost exactly like AT&T's iPhone 4: a slick black glass sandwich with the sharpest 3.5-inch display you've ever seen. The Mute switch on the left panel has been moved by about a millimeter, and there's no SIM card slot. The antenna is a little different: Both iPhone models have two strips on the right side. The AT&T model has one on the left, while the Verizon version has two on the left. Besides the Verizon name next to the signal-strength indicator on the top-left corner of the screen, those are all the changes you can see.

Under the hood, there are more differences, of course. Apple completely replaced the iPhone's GSM radio with an incompatible CDMA model, and had to fiddle with the antennas to make them work on Verizon's network. The Verizon iPhone suffers from a "death grip" just like the AT&T one does, although it's a little bit trickier. You have to grab the lower portion of the phone a bit tightly, covering both of the antenna gaps toward the bottom. Just like on the AT&T phone, the effect only shows up if you already have weak Verizon signal, which is why I didn't catch it in the first demos. I was able to get two bars of 3G to drop to one bar of 2G by gripping the phone. Adding a bumper, just like with the AT&T model, fixes the problem.

I'm worried that reception indicator is a bit optimistic in general, too. Tested side-by-side against a Motorola Droid 2 Global ($199.99-$559.99, 4 stars), the iPhone showed a similar ability to connect calls. But in an area where it couldn't connect calls, the iPhone still displayed one signal bar (where the Droid 2 Global displayed zero). This may create frustration if the bar indicator shows a signal where one isn't available.

Verizon's iPhone is a CDMA 850/1900, EVDO Rev. A device with 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi. That means it works on Verizon's cellular network here in the U.S. and roams in 40 countries, including Canada, Mexico, China, and India but in Europe, you're out of luck. It'll work on wireless networks where there's no CDMA signal, including making Wi-Fi calls using Skype.

Call audio is tuned just like the AT&T iPhone. With the same, consistent signal strength, the phones will sound very similar. That means it's loud and a bit trebly, without distorting at high volumes like the Droid 2 Global does. The speakerphone, just like on the AT&T iPhone, is clear enough and is a medium volume; I wouldn't use it outdoors. In my tests, the Verizon iPhone also worked well with a variety of Bluetooth headsets.

One of AT&T's iPhone selling points is that you can use the Internet and talk simultaneously, while this isn't possible with the Verizon model. I don't see the big deal. In my experience, people talk on the phone or surf the Web. It's true, though, that when you try to hit the Verizon iPhone's Web browser while you're in a call, it gives you an error message. If you're doing something like watching a YouTube video over 3G and a call comes in, your call pauses YouTube and the video resumes as soon as you hang up. If you're in a 2G Verizon area, surfing the Web and a call comes in, the call will go to voicemail.

For battery life, I was able to get 6 hours and 17 minutes of talk time and more than a day's worth of average usage, which is very good for a Verizon phone.

Hotspot Mode The Verizon iPhone 4 can be used as a wireless hotspot, which lets you connect other devices to the Web. (This feature is also coming to the AT&T iPhone in the near future.) If you want to use your Verizon iPhone as a hotspot, it'll cost you $20 per month; it's a good thing Verizon's data plans are, for now, unlimited.

You activate the hotspot mode in the Settings app, and you can tether the phone via USB, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. USB lets you charge the phone from your laptop, but you can only hook up on device. With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you can connect up to five devices, including one Bluetooth device. Set up a password, and away you go.

In hotspot mode, the phone's status bar shows how many gadgets are connected. If you try to connect a sixth gadget, nobody gets kicked off; the sixth man just can't get an IP address. Tethering speeds remained consistent across the 45-foot length of our lab.

The Bluetooth option is intriguing, because it may use less battery life than Wi-Fi does. If you're using a Mac, connecting is very simple: turn Bluetooth on in the Finder, click "Set Up Bluetooth Device," and then pick your iPhone's name and "connect to network." Pow. You're online with less juice.

Bluetooth speeds were noticeably slower than Wi-Fi, though. I got an average of 763Kbps down when tethered via Bluetooth (with 115ms latency), and 1400Kbps down tethered via Wi-Fi in the same location (with 98ms latency).

The "no voice and data" monster does become a bit annoying when tethering. If you get a call in hotspot mode, you get the option to pick up the call. If you do, everyone who's connected to your hotspot stays connected to the local network, but they can't access the Internet; Web pages stall out. Internet connectivity comes back as soon as you hang up.

PCMag.com's lead mobile analyst, Sascha Segan, has reviewed hundreds of smartphones, tablets and other gadgets in more than 9 years with PCMag. He's the head of our Fastest Mobile Networks project, one of the hosts of the daily PCMag Live Web show and speaks frequently in mass media on cell-phone-related issues. His commentary has appeared on ABC, the BBC, the CBC, CNBC, CNN, Fox News, and in newspapers from San Antonio, Texas to Edmonton, Alberta.
Segan is also a multiple award-winning travel writer, having contributed...
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